Up on Play: Landscape Architects by Landscape Structures

Up on Play

Landscape Architects Issue 2

GeoNetrix

Adding new dimension to your playground Dynamic nets. Contemporary towers. Challenging circuit play. That’s what kids will get when they visit Landscape Structures’ newest playground creation. GeoNetrix mixes art and play to create an aesthetically creative, dimensional play experience for kids ages 5 to 12. The goal of Landscape Structures’ designers when conceptualizing GeoNetrix was to create an iconic playstructure using unique materials. GeoNetrix doesn’t look like a traditional playground. The lines and angles read in a more cohesive way— one arc feeds into another arc—creating a sort of inertia in kids’ play experience. With its colored, translucent polycarbonate roofs that cast vibrant color to the ground, non-rigid components and compact footprint, GeoNetrix provides a light design that can be modified to fit into any overall park plan. Even more, GeoNetrix offers kids a “choose your own adventure” type of experience. At first kids will stay low to the ground on more secure cables, and when they’ve mastered that there is opportunity for graduated challenge by climbing higher and engaging new muscles. This net phenomenon stretches kids’ imaginations, while providing a total-body workout, as they navigate their way through this dimensional playground climber. Be one of the first to see and try GeoNetrix at the 2013 American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Annual Meeting & Expo in Boston. We’ll have our newest innovation in booth 1607 of the exhibit hall. If you’re unable to attend ASLA, get more information about GeoNetrix from your local Landscape Structures playground consultant.

Gaining Ground at ASLA 2013 This weekend, a group of Landscape Structures employees and playground consultants will be in Boston, Mass., for the 2013 ASLA Annual Meeting & Expo. More than 6,000 landscape architects are expected to descend on the city, and we’re excited to reconnect with clients, make new connections and welcome new landscape architects to the profession. We are exhibiting in booth 1607, and invite attendees to stop by. We’re excited to debut our newest innovation— GeoNetrix—to the ASLA exhibit hall. The unique design is sure to entice visitors to test the dimensional play experience for themselves. Stop in and say hi; we’ll have coffee and chocolate waiting for you. In addition to our exhibit space, we’re proud to support the landscape architecture profession by sponsoring the opening general session on Saturday morning. The session will feature Jack Dangermond, founder of Esri, who will speak about geodesign and the emerging GIS platform. That same night, the ASLA/Landscape Structures Gala will be hosted at the Boston Children’s Museum, the first LEED® Gold certified museum in Boston, and a 2008 recipient of an ASLA Professional Award. In addition to the multisensory, hands-on, active, and child-centered environment, attendees will enjoy a “farm to table” dining experience and dancing. It’s sure to be a playful experience! Even if you’re unable to attend ASLA this year, we still want to share a piece of it with you. Request a copy of the 2014 Design Book and be inspired to create a signature play space that brings together your community.

Congratulations Fellows! During the ASLA Annual Meeting & Expo, 33 members will be promoted to the 2013 ASLA Council of Fellows. The designation of Fellow is presented to each individual in recognition of their exceptional accomplishments. Congratulations to the 2013 Fellows, and thank you for your contributions to the profession!

Teaching students the benefits of composting The second annual Green Apple Day of Service, a day sponsored by the USGBC’s Center for Green Schools, took place on Saturday, Sept. 28. The day gave parents, teachers, students, companies and local organizations the opportunity to help

Part of the sustainability solution

transform schools into healthy, safe and productive learning environments through

Since 2008, Landscape Structures

local service projects.

has partnered with American

To celebrate Green Apple Day of Service this year, Landscape Structures partnered

Forests to plant trees to directly

with the MN Green Schools Coalition to help Delano Elementary School (DES)

offset the carbon dioxide (CO2)

improve their existing composting program. Throughout the week, DES’s media

produced in the manufacturing

teacher read “Compost Stew” to each class and they completed a fun, classroom activity. Then, on Friday, Sept. 27, volunteers from Landscape Structures, Target and DES helped students compost their lunch waste. Additionally, each student received a goodie bag including an apple. By participating in this program, DES not only helped make its students aware

of each of our playsystems and skateparks. During our partnership, we’ve donated nearly 125,000 trees—16,807

of the benefits of composting but they were also awarded dollars to purchase new

to date in 2013! Learn more

library books with an environmental theme. Check out the video recap

about our partnership with

of the event here.

American Forests here.

Leave it to the professionals Landscape Structures is honored to work with landscape architects around the world. We’re constantly learning about fun and unique projects on which you’ve worked, obstacles that you face and innovative solutions that you create to overcome challenges. That’s why we’ve created this new feature that spotlights a professional, introduces him or her, and gives you a glimpse into what projects and programs he or she has implemented. This edition’s featured professional is our very own Steve King, FASLA. Many of you know him as the cofounder of Landscape Structures, creator of the continuous play concept and a landscape architect. Read below to get more about Steve including from where his creative inspiration comes. Q: What impacts do you see landscape architects having on their communities? A: N o matter what the environment, landscape architects can create spaces that provide a relief to users. In congested urban areas, that might involve developing open green space for a little relief, while in a rural town there might be an opportunity to create a larger more functioning community space complete with playgrounds, ball fields, etc. Landscape architects really have the opportunity to bring entire communities together to play, relax and appreciate the outdoors. Q: From where does your creative inspiration come for creating playground products, designs and in your daily life? A: My inspiration comes from many sources—magazines, books, friends and others that have worked on similar projects. Providing solutions to societal trends like obesity or the rapid increase in the number of kids with autism are our challenge. I try to keep my eyes and ears open at all times because you never know what you’ll come across—like when I noticed that my wet hand didn’t stick to the shelving when fiddling with my freezer, which lead to the creation of our TenderTuff™ coating process. Being curious about how things work and fit into the environment has helped shape who I am, and has allowed me to create many different solutions—professionally and personally. Q: What advice do you have for young professionals just entering the profession? A: M y best advice for young professionals is to be curious. Be observant. Read. Gathering little pieces of information from various sources—books, landmarks, coworkers, random passersby—will help generate ideas. Curiosity is the hallmark of any good designer. Young people should stop relying so heavily on Google to answer their questions. Instead, they should experiment to find the answer. And be willing to change their minds if it’s not what they originally thought would be the answer. Also, collaborate. Everyone brings something different to the table, which could result in an even better idea. Q: What are some of your personal hobbies? A: I have many hobbies, but my favorite has to be fly fishing. Fernie, British Columbia, is the best spot for catching Trout and Ascension Bay, Mexico, is great for Bonefish, Tarpin and Permit. I also really enjoy traveling and being active while visiting new places—hiking, fly fishing, taking in all the sites. Another cause that I’ve gotten involved in within the past few years is Direct Impact Africa (DIA), an organization that helps communities in Zambia become self-sufficient and sustaining. In addition to helping the communities create fish farms, plant gardens and small farms, and create small chicken farms, we planned their first-ever playground. Since its completion, the playground has become a gathering space for the entire community. And they’re talking about adding three more playgrounds in neighboring villages. Learn more about Steve’s contributions to the landscape architecture profession as well as the challenges and opportunities facing the playground industry in his book, A Legacy of Play.

Industry News Read about the latest happenings affecting landscape architects, and then join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+. Let us know what you think about the following topics: •L andscape Architecture Program Creates Guide to Protect Water Sources East Tennessee communities are expected to grow 43 percent in the next three decades, which will likely impact the region’s water sources. The University of Tennessee’s College of Architecture and Design in collaboration with the Plan East Tennessee (PlanET) Consortium created a guide to help communities address these challenges. View the guide online.

Calendar of Events Looking forward to seeing you at the following events: NOVEMBER • National League of Cities, Seattle, Wash. • ASLA, Boston, Mass. • NAEYC, Washington, D.C. DECEMBER • National Executive Development School, Albuquerque, N.M.

Landscape Structures Inc. 601 7th St. South Delano, MN 55328-8605 888.438.6574 763.972.5200 playlsi.com

•A rt in the Park In a 2008 study by the Knight Foundation, a community’s “art, parks and green spaces” ranked higher than education, safety and the local economy in creating attachment. Including art in a park or recreation complex, it can mean more excitement about everything going on there and bring more people to visit. Read more. •H ow Can We Ethically Design with Nature In early October, a session at the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) World Conference in Madison, Wis., examined the ethics of ecological restoration and human interventions in nature. While presenters advocated for finding the middle ground, they also stressed that historical precedence should be the guiding influence for ecological restoration. Read more.